Summit Spotlight: GDSN Data Pool Best Practices To Drive Success

The idea behind the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) is powerful, promising efficiency and synchronization across all organizations. The reality, however, has often fallen short — many data pools serve only specific markets, are overly technical, or otherwise introduce complexities. 

In the Digital Shelf Summit (DSS) session entitled “3 Steps to Digital Shelf Leadership,” two experienced users of the GDSN share how their teams removed these complexities. 

Ardetha Bradley, senior manager of digital operations and enablement at Georgia Pacific, prioritizes agility in her team’s GDSN data pool to better share data with all their partners.

Theresa Maher, manager of ecommerce data management at Conagra Brands, recently helped synchronize her organization’s GDSN processes and other ecommerce operations into one platform.

Both have realized the full promise of the GDSN, and their experiences reveal how other organizations can do the same.

Digital Shelf Summit Spotlight

Discover other insights from the 2024 Digital Shelf Summit, including highlights from Salsify Customer Day and the Digital Shelf Institute Day.

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Finding Agility and Standardization With the GDSN

A critical concern for Georgia Pacific is efficiently sharing data with all customers and partners while taking into account each organization’s unique needs.

“We have to meet our customers in every industry segment that they participate in. We have to meet them at their capabilities, whether they have the technology that we do or not,” Bradley says. That’s why when it comes to the GDSN, “the theme is agility.” 

To enable this agility, “We use multiple Salsify GDSN channels … to meet our customers in their markets and in their industry segments.” These channels allow Georgia Pacific to automatically differentiate the data sent to distributors and retailers, as well as to their Canadian market. 

Maher has also improved GDSN agility with Salsify. She reports that “new trading partner connections are really seamless” with Salsify’s help.

Enhancing agility pays off with greater speed to shelf. Bradley shares that Georgia Pacific uses its robust and agile GDSN data pool to “publish the most rigorous customer requirements. And we allow our customers to … consume as much or as little information as they want. And this brings efficiency to our supply chain … we eliminate waste because we don’t have to redo it.”  

Conagra has also developed GDSN processes that eliminate waste: The company centralizes almost all GDSN data, as well as all other ecommerce data, in Salsify. In addition, Maher says, “My team took a pivotal turn in how we manage GDSN data because we also centralized the team — one team doing all the PIM, ecommerce syndication, and GDSN syndication.” 

This cohesion has helped Conagra realize more benefits from its GDSN data pool, including guaranteed GS1 compliance, simplified status report development, and a standardized syndication process. 

Building a Strong GDSN Foundation 

As Maher puts it, “GDSN data is the foundation of everything we do.” Getting GDSN data right is the first step to getting products on shelves or in consumers’ hands. 

That’s why it’s important to invest in a data pool that allows for both consistency and agility. Pairing that tool with a centralized, engaged team and smart processes can help make the GDSN the source of efficiency it was meant to be.

“The best practice, and my message to you, is remaining agile and remaining engaged [in GDSN management],” Bradley says.